Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a way to measure the wear and degradation of the microscopic probes used to study nanoscale structures in situ and as it's happening. Their technique can both dramatically speed up and improve the accuracy of the most precise and delicate nanoscale measurements done with atomic force microscopy (AFM).

The next-generation battery, like next-generation TV, may be 3-D, scientists reported at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). They described a new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, already available in a prototype version, with a three-dimensional interior architecture that could be perfect for the electric cars now appearing in auto dealer showrooms.

Completing the story they started by creating synthetic magnetic fields, scientists from the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) have now made atoms act as if they were charged particles accelerated by electric fields.

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have created the first nontrivial "atom circuit", a donut-shaped loop of ultracold gas atoms circulating in a current analogous to a ring of electrons in a superconducting wire.

More than 300 middle- and high-school students from throughout New York received a firsthand look at careers in the emerging field of nanotechnology when they visited the UAlbany NanoCollege and its $7 billion Albany NanoTech Complex.

As part of the quest to form perfectly smooth single-molecule layers of materials for advanced energy, electronic, and medical devices, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that the molecules in thin films remain frozen at a temperature where the bulk material is molten. Thin molecular films have a range of applications extending from organic solar cells to biosensors, and understanding the fundamental aspects of these films could lead to improved devices.

Physicians and engineers within a new center devoted to pediatric nanomedicine will develop targeted, molecular-sized nanoparticles as part of a unique approach to treating pediatric diseases. Specific focus areas will include pediatric heart disease and thrombosis, infectious diseases, cancer, sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis.

Darmstadt researchers plan to selectively control the properties of underlying materials utilizing thin, "smart", plastic films. For example, paper might be induced to release printing inks, if necessary, chemical reactions might be started and interrupted as required, or medications might be tailored to affect only certain parts of the body.

Could electronic components made from human blood be the key to creating cyborg interfaces? Circuitry that links human tissues and nerve cells directly to an electronic device, such as a robotic limb or artificial eye might one day be possible thanks to the development of biological components.

Researchers from North Carolina State University have investigated the viability of a technique called "spincasting" for creating thin films of nanoparticles on an underlying substrate - an important step in the creation of materials with a variety of uses, from optics to electronics.